Doodle is rummaging through everything!

[TrevorDoodle]

My doodle has been driving me crazy lately. Over the past month he has started grabbing things off counter tops and tables. He steals socks(and other things) out of the laundry basket. He is really bad about stealing my makeup and chewing it up. He has a thing for mascara tubes. He loves to rummage though the trash.(fixing this problem with a covered trashcan). I have to be so careful what I leave laying around. It seems like everything that is small must be put in a drawer or he will take it and chew it up and sometimes eat it.

He has plenty of bones and toys. He has Kongs but I cant keep them filled up 24/7. He gets exercise and he is tired out for about 30 minutes, then its back to the "retrieving".

What can I do? Please tell me this is a phase - he is 9 months old.

[Jenn&Bruce]

OK, well here goes...
this is a list of the things Bruce has stolen/eaten/destroyed since last April when we finally got him home at 5 months.

samsung cell phone

at least 50 socks (and counting)

two of hubby's baseball hats

one vital guitar hero cord (also hubby's)

half a dozen tennis balls

about ten rolls of paper towel (and counting)

countless paper items (for example, the pattern for my current cross stitch project)

hubby's lap top adapter (seeing a pattern here?)

about 15 plush toys

two Kong's (one regular, and one Xtreme black. the red one which we had since day one lasted right up until last week, when it finally met it's demise)

two kong wubbas

three nylabone dental chews

eyeliner, mascara, chapstick, incense sticks
cardboard of any kind

and stolen food items include......

one entire family size bag of cheezies (he threw them up moments later, because he tried to get them in there as fast as he could, he knew we were only just upstairs) :P

half a dozen wieners (ready for the BBQ)

two boiled eggs (I left the table to pour my tea)

whatever is left in the bottom of my tea cup when I'm not looking!

sprite, or juice, even tomato juice!!

he steals chocolate all the time, right in front of us!!! (we never leave it anywhere near him if we aren't there to pry open his eager jaws of course, but for some reason he can't control himself when it's around!)

GUM, OMG, if anybody should happen to be chewing gum around Bruce, lookout!!! he puts his nose millimeters from the chewers mouth, and licks there breath!!! until they give it too him, or throw it away.

These are just a few "bad dog" things that Bruce gets into on an average day.I, like others, was hoping it was a phase.However at almost 14 months, he's getting smarter, quicker, and more sneaky every day!

This is the kaiser roll stolen off the counter when I went to the fridge.

I'm just lucky the only things of any real value just happened to be his dads!!! hee hee (sorry hunny)

Happy Holidays to all!,
and don't forget to doodle proof the valuables!!!

[speedygilly]

Yes yes I can so empathise! Charlie eats EVERYTHING. I had to take him to the emergency vet only today as he ate my gap gloves and became really unwell (he seems ok now). He knows he is not meant to eat all these things as, when he steals them, he trots away like a little guilty pony to a quiet corner to chew them. I can tell by the sound of his walk if he got something he shouldn't.

I have no idea how to stop it happening! He has even tried to eat my car keys.

[Janie]

I am so thankful my doodles have not started doing this...I hope they never start.

[Janie]

I have to eat my words... Takoda jumped up on my counter and got some ceral today. He got a good scolding so maybe he want to it again.

[Debbie & Cotton Clegg]

Cotton is something of a "borrower" too. Socks being the item of choice. We keep most of the house under lockdown while they are in but we don't have a door on the laundry room.
A trainer told me to break her Golden Retrievers from jumping on the counters to line the edges with either sandpaper or double sided tape. She said they did not like the way it felt and stopped the unwanted behavior.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Dexter is a huge thief!! He's 2.5 yrs old and is still hasn't stopped. We try to work on "drop it", but when he knows it's something he shouldn't have it's just a big game to him.

Kirby never ever touches anything he shouldn't have...thank goodness or it would be a real zoo here.

[Teri]

My dood is 9 months old too...does all the same stuff. I think it is a phase just keep telling him NO and hope he learns. That's what I'm doing anyway.

[Sandy]

So you're saying that even though Toby is very good for not stealing/destroying things now, he may start????? Not cool. I was hoping I was one of the lucky ones that got a great dog!

[The Berry Oaks Doodle Ranch]

Has anyone every heard of Victoria Stillwell she is on TV every day at 5:00 in Baltimore MD on the animal planet....very well known animal trainer & problem solver....